Photo by Miles Najera
Photo by Miles Najera
Much of the vibe is curated by the aforementioned announcer Simon, who has his own vernacular shared only with those who frequent Meat Bingo. As a first-timer, I had to enlist the help of an adjacent Meat Bingo devotee who translated each inside joke shared between Simon and his loyal players. Some of the jokes were so nonsensical and longstanding that many—including Simon, who has been calling Meat Bingo for 12 years—don’t remember the meaning or origin. Dirty jokes are a fan favorite—and by jokes, I mean Simon just replaces the number 30 with the word “dirty.”“Sometimes these balls actually come up with their own stories,” Simon explains. “Like you'll get 36 and 34, which turns into 'dirty sex' and then 'dirty whore.'"
Photo by Miles Najera
Photo by Miles Najera
The early days of Workers Tavern. Photo courtesy of Diana Kirk
Though she was beloved by the community, the previous owner had left the Tavern in disrepair. With a rat infestation, leaky plumbing, and an electrical system that hadn’t been updated since the 1930s, the bar was on the verge of foreclosure. Kirk swooped in and renovated the building while trying to keep as much of the original infrastructure intact as possible. Though she had both the bar and town’s best interest in mind, many of the locals did not see it that way. The fact that she was an Astoria transplant from San Francisco didn’t help, either.The town’s animosity towards Kirk climaxed last summer when a group of locals created a bumper sticker that said: “Make Workers Tavern great again, fuck Diana.”
Before and after Kirk's renovations. Photos courtesy of Diana Kirk
Photo by Miles Najera